Trestle in Rosendale reopens

ROSENDALE — The Rosendale railroad trestle was the site of many firsts for Shelley Wyant and Bill Brinnier.

Michael Novinson

ROSENDALE — The Rosendale railroad trestle was the site of many firsts for Shelley Wyant and Bill Brinnier.

The Lomontville couple shared their first kiss atop the 150-foot-high bridge in 2004.

They had their wedding ceremony on the 118-year-old span Sept. 28, 2008, just months before it was closed altogether for deck and railing repairs.

So, when Brinnier learned the entire 940-foot-long trestle was being re-opened to pedestrians starting Saturday, the couple knew exactly where they needed to go.

"Oh my God, it was wonderful," Wyant exclaimed after walking across the bridge.

Yet they can't hold a candle to some on the feats carried out throughout the decades on the span, which continued to transport cargo until the late 1970s.

Teenagers used to try driving cars across the bridge, and local resident Al (who said he's still too embarrassed to give his last name), driving a 1957 Packard, was the only one of his friends to make it the entire way.

In more recent years, Jessica Kirch said some friends once stumbled onto the span drunk, guided only by the light of the moon.

The group got stranded after the moon retreated behind a cloud, and they were forced to crawl back off the trestle on their hands and knees to avoid the gaps between the railroad ties.

The bridge over Rondout Creek will likely see far fewer daredevil stunts. It's now open in daylight to walkers, bikers and horseback riders.

Amanda Swan of New Paltz used to ride up on horseback from where the trail intersects Springtown Road, but was forced to turn back after five miles when she hit the trestle.

That changed Saturday, with the trail now stretching almost all to way to the Kingston city line.

"A couple of miles on horseback isn't very much," she said. "This gives us an extension of an already beautiful trip."

Walkers say the trip provides a very different experience than the Walkway Over the Hudson, which opened in 2009.

Kathy Nolan, of the Ulster County Trails Advisory Committee, noted the Rosendale span is far narrower than the Walkway and connects recreational opportunities rather than population centers.

"This trestle is for the person who likes to feel very high off the ground and a little closer to nature," Nolan said.